Playing the role of a courier, Suran swiftly snuck through the city streets. Shroom had reluctantly given him directions to the estate of Hendrick von Auer, and he made his way towards there. Few people were on the streets; there was no crowd nor clamor in the quiet residential district. Suran had expected this, and borrowed a plain set of clothing befitting a messenger, satchel and all, to avoid any scrutiny from wandering eyes. To complete the image, he had to leave his sword behind; it is hard to not question the authenticity of an armed messenger.

It was bothering, not having a means to defend himself, but his mind was cleared by the scenic view the district brought. The rich, the nobles, and the royalty were all concentrated in the center of Valcadia. Built on a weathered mountain gently standing over the sprawling city, their homes and stores circled around. He could see the breadth of the city and the hum of activity below. However, the beauty was not only found down below; up above, perched on a crag, was the castle that stood above all. With its walls and towers fashioned in dark stone, the castle was an overwhelming and imposing giant on the mountain. Yet, at the same time, there was a certain elegance and beauty to the brooding castle, from the flowing architecture to the intricate design, that made it shine like a gem.

Or, perhaps it was the warmer weather that was making him feel at ease.

At any rate, he had reached the home of Lord Treasurer Hendrick after a long walk. Like many of the other estates, a tall wall and a line of foliage separated his estate from the world. He prepared himself as he approached the iron gate. Even the slightest error would complicate things. He had to confirm that Clyde’s words were true and that Natalya was here. Controlling information with the letter was simply a secondary objective. Without a hint of hesitation or fear, he strolled to the gate and knocked.

A slit on the door slid open and a pair of beady eyes peered through. “Who goes there?”

“Courier. Urgent message for Lord Auer from Clyde. Immediate response requested.”

The eyes examined him in silence for a moment before speaking, “Pass the letter through the hole and we will pass it on.”

“This is sensitive information that he needs to see immediately. I was instructed to give it to no one else.”

“And we were instructed not to let anyone in without notice. Just hand us the letter and we will give it to him. You can wait out here for a response.”

“Unacceptable. Then I will not be able to deliver the message.” Suran motioned towards leaving, “Before I leave, give me your names.”

The eyes recoiled from the door and inquired defensively, “What reason you want our names for?”

“So when Mr. Clyde Maxwell asks me why I did not deliver the letter, I can list your name as the reason why,” Suran said. “If this letter is not delivered, he will want someone’s head – and it won’t be mine.”

The slit slammed shut, and hushed voiced filled the air. A moment later the gate creaked open. “Fine, come in,” the guard said. Suran was rushed in and immediately subjected to a violent and vigorous pat down. Two men rummaged through his bag and dug through his pockets and clothes, leaving no area on his person unmolested. They released him and a guard ordered, “Follow me,” before turning and walking toward the home.

Suran matched his brisk pace into the house and through its corridors. As he walked through, he scanned the home for any signs of Natalya. However, he couldn’t see much; the guard was annoyed by his wandering gazed and barked at him to keep his head down.

The man bid Suran to stop outside a door. The guard straightened himself, knocked on the door, then entered, leaving Suran waiting outside. Promptly the door opened and the guard came outside, “Go.”

Letter in hand, Suran nodded and went in. He moved cautiously for the room was dark, the only light source a crackling fire at the back.

“What is so important that dear Mr. Maxwell would request direct delivery and an immediate response?” Sitting behind a dark wood desk, an elderly man asked. Suran walked over and handed Hendrick von Auer the letter.

As he popped open the container and unraveled the letter, Suran glanced around the room. Bookcases, shelves, cabinets, maps, papers, the room was filled and stocked as a study. Despite the overwhelming number of items and tools, everything was organized to perfection; one could find anything they would need nearly instantly.

A feeble slap on the desk got Suran’s attention. Lord Auer clutched the letter in his hand almost shaking with anger. “What is the meaning of this?!” He shook the letter around. He took out parchment and pen and began furiously writing, not waiting for an answer. “What a fool that man is to even suggest such lunacy,” he muttered to himself.

When he finished his correspondence, he rolled up the letter, slid it into a cylindrical container, and held it out. Suran grabbed the container, but Lord Auer did not let go. His aged, wrinkled face bore signs of frustration. A second tug and Hendrick released the letter.

Suran placed the letter in his satchel and headed towards the door. Before he could reach it, the door burst open and a familiar red-head flew right past him carrying a tray with tea and cookies. Suran caught a glance of her; she looked frazzled, but fine.

“Knock next time you stupid girl,” Hendrick chastised her, clearly irritated.

Natalya did not seem to notice Suran when she came in, and he decided to keep it that way. It would be a problem if she realized he was here and made a scene out of it, so he left the room. The guard was waiting outside and promptly took ahold of him and escorted him out. As the guard shoved him along, he could hear the old Lord yelling at Natalya for not bringing him his tea faster.

He was tossed to the street and the gate was slammed shut and locked behind him. Hendrick von Auer was not talkative compared to his ‘partners’, but that was not an issue with the letter; while he may not run his mouth, the letter might tell him something he won’t. On top of that, he now knows that Natalya is there. It was time to back to Shroom, there was still something for him to do, but first, a detour to a Lord Reginald’s home.

The home was far and out of the way, but it was worth a visit. He did not intend to go and meet them. No, he simply peered from the street and saw activity in the home and glimpses of recognizable face going in and out. Reginald, Keira, and Annabelle were all here. Even they had a role to play in his plans, regardless if they wanted to or not. Suran had seen what he had wanted, so he left towards the home of Shroom.

He reached the home and was greeted by one of his servants at the door. Before going to speak with Shroom, he recovered his clothes which he had left in a guest room and changed back into them. The home was chilly, and he wanted to wear his thicker, normal clothes right away. Properly dressed, Suran headed up to Shroom’s room.

Shroom was working on a desk in his room, looking over some paperwork. He immediately left his work as soon as Suran entered the room and greeted him. “You’re back! Took you awhile.”

“The home was far,” Suran said, rummaging through the borrowed bag for the letter.

“What? It shouldn’t have been that far; he lives relatively clo—”

“Hendrick von Auer gave a response.”

“O-oh? Did he? That’s good.”

“He spoke little, so I only have this.” He unraveled the letter and began to skim it.

“What about your… companion? Did you find her?”

“She was there.”

“So everything went as you wanted it seems, but I still don’t understand what you intend to do – what is your plan even?”

Suran straightened out the letter and read its contents:

To C.M.

I will cease nothing. The cause of your vermin problem was not from my end, so you will have to clean up after yourself. I will not be inconvinced by your shortcomings.

Regardless, stopping the operation here will set us significantly back. As such, it is out of the question. We have the market cornered, if we let up now, then all of our effort will go to waste. And you need not remind me of my stake in this. Both parties have invested heavily in this, which is exactly why we cannot stop now. And we will not stop.

The shipments will proceed as planned. There will be no change in time nor in location. Make sure this vermin problem is taken care of and be ready at the dock as usual. As soon as you unload onto the pier, we want to push it out into the market as soon as possible. We must not relent.

-H.v.A

He handed the letter to Shroom so he could read it as well. It sounded like Hendrick had no interest in ceasing their operations. Suran found his complete dismal reckless. He now knew exactly what he was going to do.

“Seems like nothing is going to change,” Shroom mused, looking over the letter.

“Shroom, write a letter to Clyde saying that Annabelle and her father are going to flee the town tonight, and if he wants to capture them, he needs to intercept them later today.”

“Yes, yes of cour—” Shroom stopped as he fully processed the request. “Wait, wait, wait, wait just one second…”

“Problem?”

“What do you mean ‘Problem?’! Of course! Did you not just risk your life to rescue her, and now you want to get her captured again?!”

“Do as I say. You need not worry about the details.”

Shroom was speechless and did as he told, gathering the parchment and ink to do so. “How do you even know she is leaving today?” He asked while sitting down to write.

“I don’t.”

Shroom paused again and turned to Suran wide-mouthed, “You don’t know? Wh-what the hell are you doing?! Do you even know what you are doing?!”

“Yes, yes I do. I intend to do more than just rescue Natalya; I intend to make Namnoc feel pain. While I might not be able to administer justice by myself, I can certainly orchestrate others to achieve my goal. So it does not matter if they are leaving tonight or not because they will play their piece in this – they won’t be silent. All you must do is play your part. I will conduct victory.”